Last updated on 31 December 2022
Short-term parking
Sofia has two paid parking zones that cover the entire city center, the Blue and the Green Zone. Road signs will indicate whether you’re in a paid parking zone.
BLUE ZONE (BG: СИНЯ ЗОНА)
- Maximum duration of parking: 2 hours
- Price: 2 BGN per hour
- Paid hours: between 08:30 and 20:00 on weekdays and Saturdays
The Blue Zone covers the inner downtown of Sofia. It is surrounded by the following streets: Gen. M. D. Skobelev Boulevard, Opalchenska Blvd, Slivnitsa Blvd, Gen. Danail Nikolaev Blvd, Prof. Milko Bichev Blvd, Evlogi and Hriso Georgievi Blvd, Pencho Slaveykov Blvd, Prague Blvd, Hristo Botev Blvd, Positano St, Marko Balabanov St and Dobrudzhanski Kray St.
(BG: бул. “Ген. М. Д. Скобелев”, ул. “Опълченска”, бул. “Сливница”, бул. “Ген. Данаил Николаев”, ул. “Проф. Милко Бичев”, бул. “Евлоги и Хрисо Георгиеви”, бул. “Пенчо Славейков”, бул. “Прага”, бул. “Хр. Ботев”, ул. “Позитано”, ул. “Марко Балабанов”, ул. “Добруджански край”).
Please note that parking places along both sides of the bordering boulevards are part of the Blue Zone.
GREEN ZONE (BG: ЗЕЛЕНА ЗОНА)
- Maximum duration of parking: 4 hours
- Price: 1 BGN per hour
- Paid hours: between 08:30 and 19:30 on weekdays and from 10:00 to 18:00 on Saturdays
The Green Zone wraps around the Blue Zone. From outside it is surrounded by the following streets: Princess Maria Luisa Blvd, Belogradchik St, Veslets St, Klokotnitsa St, Budapest St, Kozloduy St, Konstantin Stoilov St, Gen. Danail Nikolaev Blvd, Sitnyakovo Blvd, Mihai Eminescu Blvd, Shipchenski Prohod Blvd, Akademik Lyudmil Stoyanov Blvd, Tsarigradsko Shose Blvd, Evlogi i Hristo Georgievi Blvd, Dragan Tsankov Blvd, Metropolit Kiril Vidinski St, Yosif Petrov St, Velchova Zavera Sq, Stoyan Mihailovski St, Peyo Yavorov Blvd, Nikola Y. Vaptsarov Blvd, Atanas Dukov St, Lyuba Velichkova St, Srebarna St, Henrik Ibsen St, Koziak St, Saint Osiy Kordobski St, Saint Athanasiy Veliki St, Koziak St, Sveta Troitsa St, Nikola Obrazopisov St, Episcop Protogen St, the border of Yuzhen (South) Park, Arsenalski Blvd, Byala Cherkva St, Petko Yo. Todorov Blvd, Akademik Ivan E. Geshov Blvd, Gen. Eduard I. Totleben Blvd, Joakim Karchovski St, Kamen Andreev St, Ohridsko Ezero St, Gyoeshevo St, A. Stamboliyski Blvd, Eng. Ivan Ivanov Blvd, Konstantin Velichev Blvd, Slivnitsa Blvd and Oplchenska St.
(BG: бул. “Княгиня Мария Луиза”, ул. “Белоградчик“, ул. “Веслец“, ул. “Клокотница“, ул. “Будапеща“, ул. “Козлодуй“, ул. “Константин Стоилов“, бул. “Ген. Данаил Николаев“, бул. „Ситняково“, бул. „Михай Еминеску“, бул. “Шипченски проход“, ул. „Акад. Людмил Стоянов“, бул. „Цариградско шосе“, бул. “Евлоги и Христо Георгиеви“, бул. “Драган Цанков“, ул. “Митрополит Кирил Видински“, ул. „Йосиф Петров“, пл. „Велчова завера“, ул. “Стоян Михайловски“, бул. “Пейо Яворов“, бул. “Никола Й. Вапцаров“. ул. “Атанас Дуков“, ул. “Люба Величкова“. ул. “Сребърна“, ул. “Хенрих Ибсен“, ул. “Козяк“, ул. “Св. Осий Кордобски“, ул. “Св. Атанасий Велики“, ул. “Козяк“, ул. “Света Троица“, ул. “Никола Образописов“, ул. “Епископ Протоген“, граница на “Южен Парк“, бул. “Арсеналски“, ул. “Бяла Черква“, бул. “Петко Ю. Тодоров“, бул. “Академик Иван Е. Гешов“, бул. “Ген. Едуард И.Тотлебен“. ул. “Йоаким Кърчовски”, ул. “Камен Андреев“, ул. “Охридско езеро“, ул. “Гюешево“, бул. “Инж. Иван Иванов“, бул. “Ал. Стамболийски”, бул. “Инж. Иван Иванов”, бул. “Константин Величов”, бул. „Сливница“, ул. “Опълченска“.)
Parking places along both sides of the bordering boulevards are part of the Green Zone.
Be aware that the short-term paid parking zones are only available for vehicles with a maximum weight of 2.5 t and up to 12 passengers’ seats.
How to pay for parking
With a coupon/voucher
The easiest way of payment is to use prepaid parking vouchers. These can be bought directly from the parking inspectors, from the ticket offices of Urban Mobility Centre and other retailers. Before placing the voucher to a visible place inside the windshield, you’ll need to mark it by scratching the appropriate fields for the parking zone, date and starting time of your parking. Inspectors are easy to recognize as they are wearing visibility vests but it might take several minutes until one of them comes to your car.
There are three voucher types available:
- 0.5 BGN: can be used for ½ hour of parking in the Green Zone
- 1 BGN: can be used for either 1 hour of parking in the Green Zone or for ½ hour of parking in the Blue Zone
- 2 BGN: can be used for either 2 hours of parking in the Green Zone or for 1 hour of parking in the Blue Zone
Via an app
Parking in Sofia can be paid by card using the smartphone app called Urbo Parking. You can either log in with your Facebook account or after registration with your email address. Urbo Parking is available for Android and iOS.
Other payments methods
According to Urban Mobility Centre and the road signs, payment via SMS is only available for the customers of Bulgarian mobile phone operators.
It is also possible to pay by messaging the Urban Mobility Center chatbot through Viber at: https://chats.viber.com/cgm-bot
Always check if you’re in a paid zone before leaving your car on the street. Cars that are parked without paying can get wheel clamped or towed away. In case you get in such situation, call 0700 13 233 for information. The costs of towing or removing the clamp must be paid by the owner of the vehicle and the car can be retained until the payment has been made.
Long-term parking
Many hotels offer on-site parking in their own garage or parking lot which is definitely the most convenient method to secure your car in Sofia.
If your accommodation doesn’t provide a parking spot, there are long-term private parking services available in and around the city center that usually have both hourly and daily fees.
Another option is to park your car outside the Green Zone for free. However, it is less safe to leave your car unattended in the outskirts for days.
More information about parking in Sofia can be found on Sofia Urban Mobility Centre’s website.